All Is Well
by Sasha Li
Summary: Finding closure in its simplest way. [Post-war. NaruSaku. SasuKarin.]


**All Is Well**

The day the war ended, all should have been well.

The heroes of the war, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, watched the sun rise over the horizon. The warm rays spread across the land and glittered off the rivers and seas. The morning air was void of cheery chirping, but that was only a matter of time. Nature would take its course again.

Hope returned among the survivors.

Many rejoiced. Many more cried the lives lost.

Many could finally return home. Many more… no longer had place to go back to.

Despite the strengthened alliance between the five Great Countries, all were stricken by poverty and famine. Villages once prosperous had been ravaged; crumbling houses and buildings were everywhere. Countless wealthy families had been stripped of their valuable possessions, either left behind or unguarded during the restless times. Crops and cattle had been decimated over large areas.

Civil offices had been vandalized. Criminals had taken on new identities. Those who hadn't been caught helped prisoners escape. The crime rate slowly escalated, from petty theft in food outlets to thorough bank robbery.

In the Land of Fire, to counter the growing number of felonies, the daimyo designated Hatake Kakashi, one of the war heroes, as the new Hokage. Under the new leadership, the law was enforced and offenders were tracked down relentlessly. It took a couple of years for order to return. By the time The Council of the Hidden Leaf Village, on the other hand, was tasked with the reconstruction of Konoha as well as of neighboring regions. The residential zone of Konoha was expanded to accommodate the homeless and orphans from fallen clans. The hospital was renovated as well, with the sage Tsunade at the head.

As the seasons passed, things seemed to go back to normal.

Naruto and Sakura spent much of their free time together.

Even if it simply meant walking to the hospital in the morning, or going out for a warm bowl of ramen at night, those small things had become part of their routine. Eventually, whenever the villagers saw Naruto alone in the streets, they would tease him about the whereabouts of his lovely girlfriend. These questions earned them an involuntary grin from the blushing young man. He generally answered that Sakura was off to work in some other country.

Every time she returned, Naruto rushed to her place to welcome her back. That particular day, a light breeze carrying the scent of flowering trees blew over Konoha.

"Oh! Naruto," said Sakura as she opened the door. Her green eyes widened in pleasant surprise. She was still clad in her white medic uniform.

"Hellooo, Sakura-chan," greeted a beaming Naruto. He always showed her his biggest smiles. "Wanna go for some ramen?"

"Sure," she always replied. "Just let me freshen up a bit. Come in, come in."

At this point, her parents were used to seeing Naruto drop by. Her father patted him heavily on the back while her mother welcomed their guest with a knowing smile.

When Sakura came out of the shower, she found an awkward Naruto standing at attention in the middle of her room. Images of a blond-crested penguin flashed through her mind; she had to stifle a laughter at the visualization.

"My parents, huh?"

"Yes," he managed to squeak out.

"You're weird today. Did something happen?"

"Nothing," he replied all-too-quickly.

It was the first time Sakura saw him so uneasy. She had known for a while now that Naruto bore feelings for her... She still had to determine hers. That thought made her avert her gaze momentarily. She focused on her desk instead.

"What's this?"

A small box wrapped in silver paper winked at her from the wooden desktop.

"Eh… hehe…"

"Naruto?"

"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."

She was not sure why, or how, but when she saw Naruto's smiling blue eyes again, her heart made a leap in her ribcage.

Life in Konoha was about to get much, much livelier.

As Sakura tried to cope with her inner turmoil, her teammates concentrated on a specific upcoming event.

It did not take much longer before the Chuunin Examination was held once again. The main aim was to gather more skilled shinobi in law enforcement.

For Naruto and Sasuke, this second attempt proved fruitful. No longer were they restricted to the lowest rank, _Genin_. They accumulated mission upon mission.

They often requested for Sakura to be assigned with them. Together they made an undefeatable team.

At times they had to replace Sasuke. The Sixth Hokage had ordered that he be interrogated on his previous motives – as per the Council's instructions – and received adequate psychiatric treatment. The last survivor of the Uchiha clan did not object.

The hours spent at the Konoha hospital were not unpleasant. One particular member of Team Taka was a regular patient there, who had become a permanent resident of Konoha. Uzumaki Karin had been granted citizenship thanks to her clan's ties with the Hidden Leaf Village and given her tragic past as a war orphan.

She was presently going through regenerative treatment for the countless bite marks covering her body. Many of them were deep and painful: they had repeatedly torn into her muscle tissues, threatening irreparable damage. After each session, she spent her recovery stuck to one of the hard, inclined beds of the establishment for a couple of days. Indescribable was her surprise when one day, she saw a dark-haired man poke his head into her room.

During the first few visits, he brought a snack or a storybook for her. He watched her eat and they had small talk. They often discussed their future plans. Sasuke wanted to settle down. Karin was still unsure of what to do. Before leaving, he told her that he would be back the next day.

Over time, Sasuke became her most frequent visitor.

"They are going to restore the name of the Uchiha clan," he told her one day. He studied her face for any reaction.

"Those _suckers_ are doing it only _now?_ " said Karin, indignation loud in her voice. "They should be restoring your home too while they're at it. It's their fault, after all."

"They are going to do it."

Her gaping mouth was an amusing sight. But what came next made her believe her jaw might just crash through the floor.

"Once they're done, do you want to move in with me?"

She did not know whether to be more shocked at the request itself or at the fact that THE Uchiha Sasuke was averting his gaze in mild embarrassment. While she immediately noticed the slight pink tinge on his cheeks, she failed to register that her own face now matched her fiery hair and eyes.

About an eternity or two later, she finally said yes.

The end of Karin's medical treatment coincided with the announcement of the Jounin Examinations.

This time around, the former members of Team Seven took part together. The examinations lasted over the course of a week, inside Training Ground Four. Similar to Training Ground Forty-four which enclosed the Forest of Death, this terrain covered an expansive area dominated by deadlier creatures and animate florae. While maintaining the core elements of the Chuunin Exams, namely information gathering, mission assignment and fighting skills, emphasis was placed particularly on strategy, cooperation and technical prowess.

By the final stage, only a handful of teams had passed.

The day after their victorious attempt for Jounin rank, Team Seven planned to celebrate all night.

But for a certain pink-haired maiden, something changed completely. It did not take a potential rival to make her realize her growing feelings.

All it took, were a few words and a tender smile from one man with sky-colored eyes. He had come over to fetch her on the three's celebratory night, but she was not yet ready.

"I have no idea what to do with my hair," she said. She showed various hairstyles to Naruto, by parting her hair down the middle or sweeping her fringe to one side. "I wanted to do something different, but I feel like nothing suits that big forehead of mine."

"Huh?" said Naruto, his eyebrows disappearing into his blond hair. He plopped onto her bed, watching her as she hastily gathered her hair into a bun. It had grown a lot since the war. She could finally enjoy playing around with it and not always chopping it short for practicality. "What do you mean, Sakura-chan? Of course you have a charming forehead, ya know."

Sakura froze, remembering familiar words uttered long, long ago. "Really?" she replied, curious.

"Yeah, really. I told you before, ya know. Uh. Wait. Never mind." Naruto looked to the side, realizing where this was going.

"When did you tell me?" she said, her green eyes looking at him in the mirror. She undid the bun, as stray strands were slipping out at the back.

"Eh? I don't remember."

He scratched an imaginary pimple on his cheek, and proceeded to rub the back of his head in a sheepish manner while looking at the ceiling. For a while, he looked nowhere else.

For the second time, Naruto had trouble expressing himself. It had never been a problem back when they were young and carefree teenagers. For crying out loud, he had even admitted to his father that she was his girlfriend. And she had not denied it. So why did everything feel so ambiguous to him now?

"Ah – I think I'm done. Naruto. Look at me."

The young man complied. But he had to look away quickly. His cheeks were turning a deep shade of red.

"Naruto?"

"I can't see," he replied, raising an arm to cover his face. He could not think straight anymore.

"Hey! What's with the embarrassed look now?" She poked his forearm playfully. That did not help the funny feeling in his stomach _one bit_.

"Yukata. Pretty," he managed to say. He took in a steadying breath, but soon regretted it. It smelled like blooming flowers in spring. The sweet scent did not help him relax in the least. It meant that she was right in front of him. "Sakura-chan. Very pretty."

She was wearing his birthday gift. A pair of silver cherry blossom earrings shimmered shyly from behind her long locks.

It was Sakura's turn to feel flustered. Gently, she took his hands and made him stand up.

"Look at me, Naruto."

Taking another deep breath, Naruto let his arm drop to his side. Still, he kept his eyes firmly shut.

"I – I think I should better go and wait outside with your parents."

He heard her release an exasperated sigh in response.

"Really?"

He felt her fingers brush his side.

"Ah! No, _please_. Not this."

He felt her applying more pressure. Soon enough, he was bending forward from her incessant tickles.

"Please! Sakura-chan. Aaah!"

"Take this! And that!"

Naruto tried to step back, but his legs met the bed. With Sakura advancing on him, the pair toppled onto the mattress. Their laughter mingled and rang loud in the room.

"Fine! Alright! You win, Sakura-chan." When he no longer felt her fingers at his sides, he gingerly opened one eye, then the next. Finally he looked at her. As she lay next to him, a mischievous grin adorned her red lips. Naruto's thoughts were in such a jumbled mess at this moment. He rolled onto his side and slipped a hand around her waist.

"It was you, wasn't it?" said Sakura as she moved closer. Spontaneously, she dropped a light kiss on his cheek. "It was you who gave me that compliment so many years ago, Naruto. Why did you put on a disguise?"

"You're right. I shouldn't have used Transformation," he said, bumping his forehead against hers. "Should have gone right up to you and told you, 'Hey, you're the most gorgeous girl I ever met, ya know?' And then you would have looked at me with those bright green eyes, and stepped closer to me. And you would raise your fist and throw the biggest punch I ever received in my life for sure.

"That would have been a memorable moment," he finished, in a mock thoughtful tone. Sakura's ensuing merry laugh echoed in the room. It was music to his ears.

Smiling, he brushed his lips softly on her forehead.

He felt arms wrap around his torso in that instant. He looked at her, at those brilliant eyes twinkling in the sunset light.

"Thank you, Naruto," said Sakura.

Looking up into his eyes felt like losing herself in the vast blue sky. And she was willing to never find her way back. She was certain now.

Ever so slowly, they closed the gap between them. Their eyes fluttered shut, their hands intertwined.

Their first kiss was like a petal's touch on their lips. But then it grew stronger, deeper. Inside, it felt like a burst of fireworks and butterflies. Each kiss held only pure affection for each other.

They lost their sense of time, as their minds made leaps and only the sound of their pounding hearts filled their ears.

For Naruto and Sakura to come back to reality, it ultimately took for Sasuke to show up at the Haruno residence. He was grumbling about their adopting Kakashi-sensei's bad habits. If only he knew.

In their growing bliss, they felt invincible.

On the day Uzumaki Naruto was proclaimed the Seventh Hokage, everyone cheered. The Sixth, opting for early retirement due to fatigue, had recommended the young man who was now of age as his worthy successor.

Amidst the blooming cherry trees, the ceremony remained solemn. All the citizens of Konoha assembled for the ascension of their new leader. Yet once formalities were over, joy and admiration poured over the one who had once saved Konoha from utter annihilation.

But revels had only just begun.

On that same day, among the thousands of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Naruto went down on one knee in front of his most cherished flower.


End file.
